Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen is back in Washington on Friday, a day after receiving emergency medical attention following a speech during which she appeared to lose concentration and which she struggled to finish.
A Fed spokesperson would not comment on whether Yellen planned to see a doctor for a follow up check-up, and would not comment on her health beyond last night’s statement that she had felt dehydrated after speaking for nearly an hour at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst.
Yellen, 69, who received medical assistance in a private room offstage, later attended a dinner with the university’s chancellor and other special guests. She appeared fine and was talkative, according to one person at the dinner. A Fed spokesperson said Yellen felt fine after the incident.
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After the speech, during which Yellen appeared to lose focus, repeating some words and slowing down, the Fed chief was seen by the university's emergency team and later carried on with her schedule.
"If you ask me, is it concerning, I think it is concerning," said Dr. Andrew Stemer, an assistant professor of neurology and radiology at Georgetown University School of Medicine.
But he added it was hard to offer a diagnosis without lab tests, an exam or medical history: "I want to be cautious about speculating on things that I can't know...I'm sure she’s getting excellent care and that her physicians are working this up."
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St. Louis Fed President James Bullard said the central bank was well prepared in case its chief for some reason could not carry on performing her or his duties.
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Were a Fed chair to become incapacitated, the vice chair -- former Bank of Israel chief Stanley Fischer -- would take over the Board of Governors. Depending on how long the Fed chair was away, William Dudley, head of the New York Fed and vice chair of the Federal Open Market Committee, would temporarily chair the policy-setting committee pending a vote of the committee.
